Frankfurt Fracas

The two fastest Ironman athletes in history are primed for a dual at the 11th running of the Frankfurter Sparkasse IRONMAN European Championship

By Kevin Mackinnon

Belgium’s Marino Vanhoenacker might be the fastest man ever at an official Ironman event (thanks to his 7:45:58 at IRONMAN Austria last year), but it only took Germany’s Michael Raelert a week to put his name in the record book for the fastest full-distance race ever with his 7:41:33 in Roth last summer. Now the two are here in Frankfurt for a much-anticipated showdown as they contest for the European championship.

Raelert won here two years ago in impressive style – riding away from the likes of Chris McCormack (who would go on to take the IRONMAN World Championship later that year) and Timo Bracht. Vanhoenacker has dominated IRONMAN Austria for the last six years, so this is his first trip to Frankfurt, which might give Raelert a bit of an advantage, but since this course is fairly wide open and fast, it’s hard to imagine it makes him any sort of clear favorite. In fact, trying to figure out what will be the deciding factor in the race is an even tougher call. Raelert is, in theory, the faster swimmer and runner thanks to his ITU background, while Vanhoenacker is, in theory, possibly better on the bike. That all gets thrown out the window, though, when you realize that both are sub-7:46 Ironman athletes – suffice it to say that they are plenty fast in all three disciplines.

While they might be the favorites heading in to race, there are a number of other athletes who will be quite happy to mix things up with the Belgian and German on Sunday. Leading that list is the 2009 IRONMAN 70.3 European champion, Sebastian Kienle. Frighteningly fast once he gets out of the water, Kienle has a sub-8-hour full-distance race on his resume, which means he’s no stranger to competing at this level.

After those three there’s a string of top-level Ironman athletes who certainly can be part of the mix on Sunday, too. Germany’s Stephan Vuckovic won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics and has since managed to rack up a number of top Ironman finishes including a win at IRONMAN Florida in 2007. Spaniard Clemente Alonso-McKernan won IRONMAN South Africa earlier this year. Jan Raphael was second here last year to go along with a fourth place finish at another competitive race at IRONMAN Texas. Raphael won his first Ironman race in Florida in 2006 and would dearly love to add another to his resume.

As competitive as the rest of the field might be, though, all eyes will be on Vanhoenacker and Raelert on Sunday. The course here in Frankfurt is not considered as fast as either Roth or Austria, but it both Bracht and McCormack have posted sub-9 hour times here, so there’s certainly the possibility of some quick racing.

The day begins with a swim out at the Langener Waldsee, a small lake about 12 km from Frankfurt. From the minute the gun goes off to start the race the tone is set for the race – the lake is surrounded by fans who seem to line this course from start to finish. The bike course starts with a 12 km ride into the city, then consists of two loops through a series of small towns north of Frankfurt. Along the way the athletes climb a few hills and even work their way through a short section of cobblestones. The four-loop run course follows the River Main and is renowned for the huge crowds of supporters. It all ends with one of the most spectacular finishes in IRONMAN racing outside the famous and spectacular Romerberg, the site where Germany’s kings were once crowned.

We’ll have live coverage of Sunday’s race including text updates, athlete tracking and photos right here on Ironman.com.